


In another world ...

by Feuchen



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Magic, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Parallel Universes, Possible Character Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feuchen/pseuds/Feuchen
Summary: Tetsuya is called to a parallel world to save someone.What he doesn’t learn is that there’s a whole other plan behind it, and it’s turning into an even bigger adventure for him and his friends....Can they find out what this world is hiding and prevent someone from dying?[parallel universe au with genderbend characters in the 'other' universe :D (canon-timeline AkaKuro, parallel universe-femslash- MidoAka)]
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Kuroko Tetsuya, Akashi Seijuurou/Midorima Shintarou, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Contact to another world?

**Author's Note:**

> some info for this: it's the "normal" canon world after the anime/end game + a parallel universe with genderbend versions of the characters with a bit different roles~
> 
> pairings are different in the "canon world" and the "parallel universe" - i don't rly know more at the moment but i have some plans?
> 
> i would also not tag some pair that are only little to nothing mentioned (i do note it before a chapter~)

Tetsuya felt a little strange while standing in the locker room with his back against a locker while he allowed himself a moment to breathe. His second year at Seirin had started, they were getting new members for the club today and actually he was excited about who was joining them.  
Even if he thought a little longingly that his partner was no longer here. It was not that Tetsuya was not happy for him. Kagami-kun had gone back to America to get better and take a big step in his career at some point.  
It had spurred him on to do his best as well, even if he wasn‘t sure what exactly he wanted to do after high school.  
His thoughts drifted to his friends. The memory that they had started over again, doing things together when they could, made him only happier. In this respect he was really looking forward to the coming year.  
With one last, deep breath, he looked in front of him, blinking to the side, when he saw a light coming out of the shower rooms, even if the door to it was locked.  
Wasn’t everyone already in the gym?  
But why did this light make him feel drawn there, as if he could not resist it? What was that?  
He took one last look in the direction of the exit, thought about whether he shouldn’t go slowly to the others, but only discarded it again when he felt this light getting a bit brighter.  
Probably the others wouldn’t even miss him, because they suspected he was already somewhere.  
It made Tetsuya sigh while he thought about it. It was one thing that made him enjoy hanging out with his friends from the old days more, because now they could at least tell when he was with them, even if they didn’t notice him directly. He didn’t know if his new team really couldn’t do it or if they weren’t so interested in him outside of basketball.  
Slowly he stepped towards the shower rooms and pushed the door open. His gaze immediately turned to the washbasins and some mirrors. Or rather to the mirror that shone so clearly that it didn‘t really seem normal.  
Confused, he approached it, blinking at his reflection, which, however, after a few seconds no longer really looked like his reflection. Or ... not complete.  
The person looking at him had light blue, shoulder-length hair, which was quite similar to his, but with a few red strands. The eyes had different colors. While the left eye was light blue, like Tetsuyas, the right eye was more red. Around the shoulders, this person wore a dark red cape with a golden yellow border. Otherwise, this person seemed to wear a normal white shirt.  
"Oh, I’ve reached you, Kuroko-san," the person began, the voice distinctly brighter than he had thought, a smile settled on their lips.  
It irritated Tetsuya that this person knew who he was - or could see him. "Who ... who are you?" He wasn’t sure what else to ask, because this whole situation confused him and left him a little speechless. Even if he somehow felt that he couldn’t turn away from this person. That look made him just have to look at them.  
"I am you... in a way," this person said calmly, giving a sigh, "not completely. You can call me Shadow. At least it’s the name I live by. But that is not relevant now. I need your help in my world. For ... my sister."  
Still far too confused, Tetsuya looked into the mirror before him. "What... who," he started, but only stopped again, "how can I help you? Where ... are you?"  
"I speak from a parallel world to you," Shadow continued calmly, "and I need someone from another world to save her with my magical power. However, it must be someone who is connected to me," Tetsuya swallowed, widening his eyes. What exactly did all this mean? "What...",  
"She will die if I do nothing," Shadow interrupted him, "please, Kuroko-san. You are my only chance to save my sister."  
Tetsuya widened his eyes a little, swallowed, nodded a little slower. He knew he couldn’t let anyone die if he had the chance to prevent it. Even if he didn’t know what to do, there was something about Shadow that wouldn’t let go of them. Was it that they were similar? "What do I have to do?"  
"Stretch out your hand and I’ll bring you into my world, then I’ll explain everything to you," Shadow said calmly in reply.  
With a slightly queasy feeling, Tetsuya did it, almost placing his palm against the mirror, and shortly after that he felt something enveloping him in a light before he felt a jolt.  
"Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you, I’ll make sure of it," was the last thing Tetsuya heard from that bright voice before he was enveloped by the light and lost consciousness shortly thereafter.

* * *

A little thoughtfully, Seijuuro watched the new members of the club, glancing casually at a clipboard before widening his eyes a little as he looked straight ahead to a ghostly apparition that appeared before him.  
He ignored this ghostly apparition for the first moment, at least until these different-colored eyes were directed more closely at him. "What ...?", he whispered a little more so as not to attract the attention of the others in the gym. But probably most people didn’t pay attention to him anyway.  
" _I suppose you recognize your sweet phantom player, don’t you, Akashi-kun?_ " a bright voice penetrated him, almost echoing as if it were echoing in the hall. He was a little surprised that no one else heard it.  
What was this ghostly apparition talking about?  
But before he could even think about whether it was safe to reply, he widened his eyes when Kuroko was clearly lying unconscious next to this apparition. He wore his sports outfit from Seirin, but had something like a silver bracelet around his right wrist.  
" _If you want to save him, you’ll have to come to my world, Akashi-kun,_ " the voice continued, the lips of this figure changing to a grin.  
"What exactly... did you do to him," Seijuuro replied with a sparkle in his eyes, but still at a muted volume. He really didn’t want any of the others to notice that he was talking to some ghostly apparition.  
" _I think we should discuss everything else when we are alone. Next time I will contact you through a mirror, with which you can come directly into my world,_ " the apparition continued, " _I will contact you through a mirror. By the way, I don’t mind if you tell your friends about it. You only need a mirror and I can contact you and bring you to me._ "  
Before Seijuuro could even think about answering or asking something, he only saw this ghostly apparition disappearing before him. What exactly was that? What had this person done to Kuroko?  
"Sei-chan?"  
He blinked to the side and noticed Mibuchi looking at him a bit more closely, but only waved away. "All good, how does it look?" He would take care of it later and probably inform his friends about it. After all, he was sure that they couldn’t just sit still when it came to their phantom player.

* * *

In the evening he was relatively happy that he was living alone at the moment. After he gave his friends a short version of what had apparently happened, they had a video chat, while he had his eyes rather turned to the mirror in his bedroom.  
"Who is that who is doing this to Kuroko-cchi," Kise grumbled to himself, grimacing a little, "and what is he doing to him?"  
"So far I haven’t had a chance to ask this person more precisely," Seijuuro sighed and shook his head a little. After all, he had seen the apparition when he was in the gym with his team, where he couldn’t really talk to someone who wasn’t actually there.  
"Anyway, we’ll get Tetsu out of there," Aomine replied, grinning, "would be laughing if we don’t make it."  
"Oh, I’m sure I shouldn’t underestimate you," this bright voice came again to Seijuuro’s ears, whereupon he turned his eyes towards the mirror in which this apparition was now more clearly visible.  
"Who are you," Midorima asked, adjusting his glasses a bit, "and what are you going to do with Kuroko?"  
"Oh... you’ll find out who I am," this figure murmured back happily in the mirror, "do you all want to come here?"  
"None of us will abandon Kuroko," Seijuuro replied in a distinctly sharp voice as he examined this person. In some ways, they had similarities to Kuroko, at least in part.  
"... If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this is some kind of cross between Tetsu and Akashi..." Aomine muttered a little.  
"I’m connected to Kuroko in a way, if you will," the person shrugged somewhat, "if you want to travel to my world, you should hold one hand against a mirror. I will make sure you get here."  
"This is irritating ...", Murasakibara murmured a little quieter.  
For a moment Seijuuro turned to the others before he sighed: "Do you really want to come? We don’t know what kind of world it is or ... what this person is up to."  
"As if we can abandon Tetsu," Aomine muttered back, "I’ve let him down once, I won’t let him down again."  
"Exactly!" Kise nodded enthusiastically.  
"After all that Kuro-chin has done for us," Murasakibara murmured and looked determined, "we can’t just do nothing."  
"I can only agree, we owe it to Kuroko to save him," Midorima concluded.  
"Okay," Seijuuro nodded and then turned back to this person, "we’re ready."  
"Then we’ll start," the person nodded calmly with a smile, "it’s better if we keep talking in my world. There’s something I need from you ...", during the last part of the sentence, this magic was already building up in him and he noticed out of the corner of his eye how his friends felt. Whatever this person had done to Kuroko, they would find out.


	2. The princess of this world

The next time Tetsuya came to his sense, he noticed someone stroking his forehead with a rag.  
He remembered that he was pulled through a mirror by magic, but after that, everything around him had been black. Was he in that other world Shadow had spoken of?  
He opened his eyes completely and saw someone bent over him. A petite girl with long, red hair tied in two braids. Her eyes, however, looked glassy without anything in them.  
"You are awake, Kuroko-san," she said shortly afterwards and pulled her arm back, remained sitting on the edge of the bed and put her hands in her lap, "Are you feeling better?"  
"I ..." Tetsuya began, blinking somewhat irritated at how delicate and fragile this girl looked. She was probably about his age, at least he didn’t really think of her as older, more like younger. But the way she looked, it was hard to tell. "Where am I?"  
"Inside the palace," she said calmly, without turning back to him, "why are you here, Kuroko-san?"  
Tetsuya widened his eyes when she said this, before he blinked a little more. "Palace? What, why... Shadow had... called me," he finally replied with an embarrassed smile. Where was the other one anyway? "Who are you?"  
She flinched a little more, then turned around a little and looked at him calmly again. Her eyes still looked so empty and glassy, without anything really existing in them. "Call me Seiya, Kuroko-san." She stretched out her hand to him and stroked Tetsuya’s cheek carefully so that he could hardly react. Her touch was so gentle that he didn’t even want to do or say anything. "You feel like my sister," she whispered further shortly thereafter.  
Tetsuya swallowed and then sat up a little more, making sure she had to pull her hand back. "What... your... sister? How-",  
"Shadow," Seiya replied only before he could continue speaking, "and ... I’m blind in case you’re wondering. Since... since I was born."  
"Oh," Tetsuya said a little too surprised to say anything more. But it made sense when he saw her eyes, which were so completely empty. But he remembered what Shadow had told him. "You... you are Shadow’s sister? The..."  
"What did she tell you?" Seiya interrupted him again while she clasped her hands in the sheet of the bed.  
"What... Shadow said that... I should help her to save her sister," Tetsuya muttered a little, realizing as he spoke that he hadn’t even thought about Shadow being a girl before.  
He noticed Seiya flinched a little more and turned her head away again. "So that’s why," she whispered softly to herself, "Kuroko-san, you-",  
"So here you are, Princess Seiya," she was interrupted by another voice, so that Tetsuya turned his gaze to the door through which a girl with half-long green hair and a light green dress had just passed. She was wearing a white headband and dark green glasses.  
"I had to look after Kuroko-san, Shina," Seiya said calmly and turned her head in the direction of the other, "where is Shadow?"  
Tetsuya watched the two of them for a moment as Shina stepped up to them and grabbed Seiya’s hand, breathing with relief. Now that he saw them, the two of them only reminded him more of Akashi and Midorima, even if they weren’t really acting like his friends. At least after he knew that Shadow had some similarities in him.  
"Come, you have to go to your examination, Seiya," Shina’s voice reached his ears before he noticed only out of the corner of his eye how she helped Seiya into a wheelchair.  
"I know I wanted to go there right away," Seiya said and smiled a little softer, "but ... you have to stop Shadow. Please, Shina."  
"We can’t stop her," Shina shook her head and sighed, slowly pushing her friend towards the exit of the room.  
"Are they... already here," Seiya asked a little louder, which only irritated Tetsuya even more because he hadn’t heard her speak so loudly yet. But at that moment, he wasn’t sure if the two of them even noticed him anymore.  
That’s why he didn’t say anything, he just kept listening to them. What did they mean by that? Did it concern his friends? Had they also traveled here to find and save him?  
"I just watched Shadow talking to them when I was looking for you, Princess," Shina said with a sigh, "and now come on, you know you can’t let your examination slide."  
"Yes," Seiya murmured quietly before Tetsuya only noticed how the door closed behind the two of them and he was alone.  
He wasn’t sure if he should try to escape if he didn’t know where he was. Or how he should get back to his world.  
Were his friends really here as well? What exactly was Shadow really up to? Why did everything she had told him before still feel so believable, even though it probably wasn’t really the truth? Did she just want him so she could get to his friends? What exactly was it about that he was supposed to help her save her sister - probably Seiya?  
Slowly he fell back onto the bed where he had been lying before, looking a little lost in thought at the ceiling. Had Shadow also tricked his friends into coming here? Who was she?

* * *

His head throbbed as Seijuuro slowly opened his eyes and looked straight into the face of a person with dark blue eyes.  
"Wh- Aomine?" he inquired in surprise, blinking a few times but having to admit to himself that this image before him did not change.  
"You don’t look bad," this person in front of him replied, smirking a bit, though he also noticed that it was rather a more feminine voice that had addressed him, even if they had just as tanned a complexion as Aomine had. The hair of this person was at most a bit longer, if it was noticeable at all.  
"What-who are you?" he inquired after a brief moment of shock, leaning in beside him and propping himself up a bit, raising an eyebrow. Where was he, anyway? How had he gotten here?  
"Oh, you’re not entirely wrong with your guess," she murmured and slid back a bit, grinning at him, whereupon he also noticed that she possessed distinctly more feminine features and not exactly small breasts. Even if her physique definitely had something more muscular about it. "My name is Dai Aomine and...", she giggled a bit, holding a small dagger in her hand with a quick movement, "I am an assassin. So you shouldn’t underestimate me."  
"Don’t worry, I can definitely tell there’s something about you," Seijuuro replied, sitting up a little more now, looking around, noticing that they were in a cell. Where was he here? Where were the rest of his friends?  
"Ah, but you needn’t worry," Dai muttered to herself, smirking and twirling her dagger in her hand, "I find you far too interesting...for being like the princess."  
Surprised, he just looked at her, but then shrugged and turned to the cell door. "Where are we?"  
"In the basement under the palace," Dai replied back calmly, "how come you’re here? I mean, your aura is clearly similar with Princess Seiya."  
"If I knew," Seijuuro replied, shrugging his shoulders, "we were pulled into this world and then the next thing I remember was this. Did you see anyone else here?"  
"There’s only this cell in this area," Dai grumbled and stepped aside, lying down on the other bed in the room and looking up at the ceiling above him, "so no, I don’t think there’s anyone else here but us."  
"Then where are my friends and where ... is Kuroko? Where is he being held?", Seijuuro inquired, clenching his hands into fists and turning to Dai, even though she probably didn’t really have an answer. How was he supposed to find the others from here? Or figure out how he could help Kuroko?  
"You’re getting too comfortable, Dai," a sharp voice came through to them, at which point he noticed Dai sit back up and twirl her dagger in one hand.  
"Oh, nice of you to pay us a visit, Shadow," she said, grinning before tossing the dagger towards the other in one swift motion.  
Seijuuro raised an eyebrow as he looked to Shadow. It was the person he had seen in the mirror, only he hadn’t been sure then that she was female. She had only briefly moved her body to the side, causing the dagger to crash into the wall behind her and fall to the floor. Who were these two?  
"Behave," Shadow growled before ignoring the assassin and turning to him, "you guys really fell for me holding Kuroko, huh."  
"What?" hissed Seijuuro, stepping towards her and stopping on the other side of the bars, "where is he? What did you do with the others?"  
"Oh, he’s fine, my sister took care of him," Shadow said, waving it off a little, "the others ... I don’t even know where I let them out? But they should be safe, I guess."  
Staring at her a little in wonder, he blinked as Dai started laughing behind him.  
"Interesting, you let Shadow trick you?" she continued to giggle to herself, "...oh I see. You need someone for Princess Seiya."  
Shadow just shrugged, smiling slightly to herself. "Kuroko was so easy to persuade because we’re practically one. I just had to tell him that I needed him to prevent my sister from dying."  
"You’ll regret that," Seijuuro said with a definite twinkle in his eye, "don’t think you can trick us that easily."  
"I picked up some information about you guys," Shadow said, shrugging again, "one is that you don’t have any magical abilities. I mean, except for you and Kuroko, maybe, but I hardly think you know anything about it."  
"Whatever you mean," Seijuuro countered, finally grinning at her, "you shouldn’t underestimate us. Neither Kuroko, nor our friends."  
"Hmmm," Shadow replied a bit more thoughtfully, "shall we see what turns up? You just shouldn’t take too much time." She turned away with a smirk, reaching for her dagger and glancing over her shoulders for a moment. "The offer still stands, by the way, Dai." She clasped the blade with her other hand and smiled in the direction of the cell.  
"My mission is to kill the princess, Shadow," Dai replied icily.  
"You’re so dutiful, Dai Aomine...", Shadow muttered to herself before waving her dagger a bit and then proceeding to leave the room.  
"Does she want anything from you?", Seijuuro inquired, turning to her and slowly stepping back to his bed, settling down on it.  
"Hm, Shadow is planning to save her sister," Dai replied calmly in response, fixing him more clearly, "... say, you’re not kind of like .... uh ... Princess Seiya ... how should I say ... her in another world?"  
"Honestly, what exactly do you mean by that?" replied Seijuuro, looking at her more seriously now, "this whole thing, I have no idea who this princess is."  
"So then your world isn’t...," Dai began, but then shook her head, "whatever. This world has some form of magic, that’s how we know. That there are other forms of us in other worlds that exist in other dimensions."  
"I see," Seijuuro nodded in response, "and this princess ..."  
"She’s Shadow’s twin sister," Dai said quietly in response, "and she looks like you. I’m relatively sure you’d feel it if you met her."  
"That sounds pretty freaky at first," Seijuuro muttered, but then smirked, "However, I’ve seen Shadow with my own eyes. She has something of Kuroko ... even if ... not completely."  
"I suppose you two ... that is, you and this Kuroko ..." murmured Dai, tilting his head slightly, "are you siblings as well?"  
"Huh? No," Seijuuro shook his head.  
"I see," Dai said, "you should see about getting out of here. Best somehow find a way for you to return. I have a strange feeling thinking about what Shadow is probably up to."


	3. The real plan?

The voices he heard caused Shintarou to open his eyes a bit and slowly sit up.  
He was sitting on a simple bed, the blanket had slid forward as he sat up while he looked around the small room. There was a large window on the side, with fresh air coming in, as well as a few brighter rays of sunlight.  
Where was he? What exactly had happened?  
He turned his head to the side and looked around the room. There wasn’t much to see, except for a small closet on one side. The door to the room had just opened, and a young woman with shoulder-length black hair stepped up to him. For a moment she seemed surprised, but then nodded at him.  
"You’re awake," she said quietly, stepping toward him, "how do you feel?"  
"Strange," Shintarou muttered to himself, grabbing his head, "where am I?"  
"In a small village. The children found you unconscious," she said back softly, placing a hand on his forehead and then sighing, "at least you don’t seem like you’re sick."  
"A village?" inquired Shintarou, "are the others here too?" Were his friends also here?  
"They’re still asleep, you’re the first one to wake up," she said quietly, "oh my name is Yuki."  
Shintarou nodded a little in understanding, then smiled at her. "Shintarou Midorima, uh, I think we’re from another world? At least that’s what we were told before-",  
"Another world?", Yuki inquired, drawing her eyebrows together, ".... Wait, do you have something to do with the twins?"  
Looking at her in wonder, Shintarou slid a little more into a sitting position and remained seated on the edge of the bed, "Twins?"  
Yuki shook her head briefly, smiling more calmly at him. "You said someone brought you here. What did the person look like?"  
Shintarou tilted his head before thinking about what he had seen. "Uh, short, light blue hair, with some red streaks, different eyes, a bit, like someone-",  
"Shadow," Yuki interrupted him, looking a little more shocked, "she’s one of them. But why did she bring you guys here?"  
"I guess she had already brought a friend of ours here before, making us come here," Shintarou muttered to himself, thinking about what Akashi had told them. Where exactly was Kuroko and was he alright?  
"She’s one of those who can do magic," Yuki muttered to herself, "and she’s worried about her sister. But ... what does that have to do with you?"  
"I can’t tell you much more than that we came here to save our friend," Shintarou replied with a serious look, "where is Shadow? I think we have to go there."  
"In the palace, where else," Yuki replied, looking at him more seriously, "but you won’t get in there easily. Especially not if Shadow knows who you are." She turned away and headed toward the door. "But I’ll try to talk to someone, maybe I can figure out a way for you guys to get there. In the meantime, you should get some rest. Do you want something to eat?"  
"Thanks, that would be good," Shintarou nodded after her.  
"No problem," she replied shortly before finally leaving the room, leaving him alone again.  
With a thoughtful look, Shintarou looked to the side and out the window. Outside, however, he really only recognized a small village with a few people running around or children of various ages playing. Where exactly had they ended up here? Who was Shadow who had brought them here?

* * *

The rest of the day and evening, Tetsuya saw no one, and after sleeping peacefully the following night, he got up from bed and stepped across the room.  
It was strange that he didn’t see anyone, and he wanted to at least see if he could look around a bit, even if he had the feeling that he didn’t know where he was here anyway.  
After touching the door handle, he was surprised to notice that it really wasn’t locked, so he risked a cautious look outside at the hallway.  
It was large and secluded, but he couldn’t see anyone apparently guarding his room either, which was kind of strange when he thought about the fact that he seemed to be trapped. Or ... what exactly was this all about? Where exactly was he?  
He waited a moment before stepping out into the hallway and setting about walking down it. Even if he didn’t know where he was, he wanted to at least look around a bit if he got the chance. Sitting in that room all that time was nothing, after all, especially after he realized there wasn’t really anything he could do there.  
After a while he noticed one or another person passing by, but without paying much attention to him. Was he really a prisoner at all? What exactly was Shadow going to do with him?  
"Kuroko-san?"  
Surprised, Tetsuya stopped and turned in one direction, looking irritated at Seiya, who was sitting in a wheelchair while she was in the doorway to a room. "Oh, sorry..."  
"You want to look around?" inquired Seiya, not moving much.  
For a moment, she didn’t even seem like she was truly blind, but she had probably long since gotten used to everything that was in this palace.  
"Uh, I was a little bored," Tetsuya muttered, scratching his head lightly, "sorry!"  
Seiya just shook his head and gave him a smile. "Care to join us?" she then inquired, backing up a bit, then turning around in her wheelchair so Tetsuya could see a bit more into the room.  
"Uh, if you don’t mind," he said a little sheepishly, blinking when he saw her friend sitting on a sofa in the room as well, "oh, hi," he nodded to her a little more quietly, "we don’t really know each other, do we? I’m Tetsuya Kuroko."  
Seiya smirked beside him and pushed her wheelchair back to her friend, "Shadow called him, Shina."  
Shina nodded and looked up calmly at Tetsuya. "Shina Midorima."  
Tetsuya nodded as well. "Uh, what exactly ... Why, what does Shadow actually want from me?"  
Seiya winced a little before hoisting herself out of the wheelchair and over to her friend on the sofa, letting her hold her slowly.  
For a moment, Tetsuya almost regretted asking at all, especially since she had flinched so clearly.  
"Sit down, Kuroko," Shina said quietly, pointing to the chair next to them, so he sat there for now.  
"Uh, I didn’t mean to-sorry, ignore the question if it makes you uncomfortable," Tetsuya replied shortly after, waving it off a bit.  
"It’s not that," Seiya said after another moment, while simply being held by her friend, but leaning against her rather normally by now, "Shadow is- not after you, Kuroko-san."  
"What, but she meant that I ... should help her save her sister," Tetsuya muttered to himself a bit more thoughtfully, "I mean-."  
Shina glanced sideways at her friend, putting an arm around her shoulders before finally continuing, "Seiya will die when she has her twentieth birthday in just under a year."  
Startled, Tetsuya looked at the two, swallowing hard in response. "But ... Shadow thinks we can save her, that’s why I should come here?" Why did it all just feel like that hadn’t quite been the truth?  
"Shadow just wants someone from another world who is similar to me so she can save me, you have next to nothing to do with that," Seiya replied in response, leaning a little more against her friend, "you’re the person most like to her, that’s why she was able to manipulate you. But you’re not the person she needs to save me."  
Tetsuya swallowed as he thought about how he was probably really tricked. "Wait, someone similar to you ... Akashi-kun?" Was he just imagining it, or was it just so obvious?  
But why were these two even telling him that when it would be to saving Seiya?  
"I knew you’d realize," Seiya murmured quietly, giving him a gentle smile, "Listen, you need to find your friends and get back. As soon as possible."  
Confused, Tetsuya continued to look at her, shaking his head briefly at these thoughts, "But how? How are we supposed to go back? I have no idea how we even did that, so how are we supposed to turn it around, even if I found them?"  
"You and ... Akashi-san, you’re not siblings, are you?" inquired Seiya quietly, straightening up a little more.  
Tetsuya shook his head briefly, remembering that she couldn’t see it after all, and added a "no," to that.  
"I sense something with you since I touched you, Kuroko-san," Seiya whispered to him, "I’m sure you have at least a little magic power, at least while you’re here. I can help you use them like this to bring you back."  
"But why?" inquired Tetsuya, raising an eyebrow and looking at her more seriously, "why are you helping me when your life is at stake? Isn’t what Shadow is up to in your best interest too?"  
Seiya sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t want to live knowing someone else will die for it. There’s no way it can be any other way. Shadow has to accept that."  
Taking a deeper breath, Tetsuya slowly nodded in understanding. Somehow he had a feeling that he understood her the longer he looked at her. She had long since come to terms with who she was and that she had this fate, even if Tetsuya wondered if there wasn’t some solution.  
"Don’t think about it, Kuroko," Shina calmly replied in response, "there’s no other solution to saving Seiya."  
"What," Tetsuya blinked back, somewhat confused. Had he just said that out loud?  
"I was just guessing that you were thinking about saving her, and if we knew anything, we would have tried that a long time ago," Shina said in response, smirking, "but that’s a thing that weighs on this world. Like a curse. When twins are born somewhere. Like Seiya and ... Shadow."  
Tetsuya was a little surprised that she had hesitated for a moment before saying ‚Shadow‘. Wasn’t that her real name? But, what was this one then? "Is ... Shadow isn’t her real name? Why do you call her that?"  
"Only our family knows her name, and no, we’re not allowed to say her name, something to do with the curse of twins," Seiya then said a little more depressed, "no one knows what it means, but we stick to it because there’s this legend that it can be dangerous for all of us."  
"But ... only she?", Tetsuya murmured back a bit more questioningly.  
"Don’t ask any more questions, please," Shina replied with a serious look, "just accept it."  
Tetsuya swallowed, but nodded in response. A curse that existed in this world? Somehow that still didn’t feel right the longer Tetsuya thought about it, but still he didn’t want to inquire further. Maybe he could find out something else after he found his friends? Maybe there was something they could do?  
"Kuroko-san ... please don’t do anything that will put you or your friends in danger," Seiya said again after a while, pressing herself against her friend, "I know you want to do something for me. I sensed that you have such a pure soul that you don’t want me to die, but I’ve long since come to terms with that."  
Tetsuya swallowed again, but nodded slowly again, noticing how Shina smiled at him before pulling her friend to her again with one arm. Somehow, she also had the feeling that their relationship was closer than he had initially thought. For her, it was probably just as intense if Seiya had to die.  
"I see, thank you for telling me that," Tetsuya finally followed up calmly, even as he continued to think inwardly. Maybe there was something they could do that even someone from this world didn’t know?  
"Once you find your friends, I’ll prepare everything for your return trip," Seiya said again more calmly, "just make sure Shadow doesn’t catch on. She would stop you."  
"Yes, understood," Tetsuya replied back calmly, "thank you."


	4. New insights

After resting for another good day, he sat in a small, cozy living room late in the afternoon, along with Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara, while their hostess was still out somewhere.  
Shintarou had already noticed after a while that there were only four of them who had ended up in this village, and apparently no one had any idea where Akashi was.  
"This is so strange," Kise muttered a little to himself, "what kind of world is this that we’re in?"  
"I’d much rather know where exactly Tetsu is being held," Aomine grumbled, propping himself up on his arm to the side, "this is too peaceful."  
"Sorry," Yuki’s voice came through to them as she stepped into the room, "but I think your friends are inside the palace."  
"Are you talking about Kuroko or ...?" inquired Shintarou, raising an eyebrow, "or Akashi as well?"  
"That all depends," Yuki said quietly, settling down on a blanket, "I have information that someone else is being held captive inside Shadow’s underground prison."  
"What kind of information exactly?" inquired Kise, raising his gaze, "where is that?"  
"Do any of the people you’re looking for look like the one who brought you here?" asked Yuki instead of answering.  
"You could say that," Shintarou nodded.  
"Actually, that person had similarities to Tetsu and Akashi", Aomine muttered to himself, "I mean, more Tetsu, but..."  
"I see," Yuki said quietly in response, "Shadow has found a way to save her sister, but to do so, she needs a person from another world who is similar to her."  
"Yuki-chan~," another bright voice came through to them before the door was pushed open and a young woman slid in behind Yuki and put her arms around her neck. Her blonde hair fell forward a little over her shoulder, "I found someone who looks like Shadow?"  
"Ryouko...", Yuki replied with a bit more of a sigh, rolling her eyes.  
Shintarou didn’t pay much further attention to her, though, as his gaze rather passed the two of them when he clearly recognized Kuroko in the doorway. "Kuroko? What-",  
"What are you doing here, Tetsu?" Aomine inquired more surprised, "we thought-",  
"Princess Seiya helped me," Kuroko said quietly in response.  
"You’re okay, Kuroko-cchi?" inquired Kise, staring at him with wide eyes, "what, like-",  
"That confirms my suspicions," Yuki muttered a moment later, regaining all of her attention, "you’re Kuroko? I guess the princess probably told you something."  
Kuroko nodded and ran a quick hand through his hair, "Akashi-kun is being held by Shadow. She told me to find you and we have to look to get back, but..." he swallowed briefly and then nodded, looking more determinedly at them, "I want us to still look for a solution to save Seiya."  
"What exactly do you mean by that, Tetsu?" Aomine inquired, cocking his head to the side, "I mean, we have to save Akashi, right? Why should we care about anyone else?"  
"She’s going to die, and I don’t want to accept that there’s no other way to save Seiya," Kuroko said more seriously, "and I’m not going back until I check."  
"Save the princess?" Ryouko asked, still half hanging on her friend, "without sacrificing someone, it’s not possible."  
"Well, if Kuroko wants us to look for a solution," Shintarou shrugged, "we’re here to get him back. If Kuroko doesn’t leave before we at least try, we can’t very well leave, can we?"  
"Guess there’s no other way," Murasakibara muttered, yawning a little, "Aka-chin would see it the same way."  
"Okay, but what exactly-" began Kise, putting his head to one side, "will you explain what’s going on here first, Kuroko-cchi?"  
Taking a little deeper breath, Kuroko nodded. "Short summarized. Shadow was able to trick me because we’re similar. But she only did it because she knew Akashi-kun would come to save me, or you all. Her sister dies when she turns twenty in just under a year. It has something to do with them being twins. However, Shadow can probably use Akashi-kun to make sure she doesn’t die. Even if it’s not what Seiya wants."  
"Princess Seiya is too good for wanting anyone to die because of her," Ryouko said with a little sigh in response, "but I can understand Shadow."  
"You really want to look for a solution, if there is another way?" inquired Yuki, raising an eyebrow.  
"If we’re here ... I can’t just leave without at least trying," Kuroko said with a more serious look, "but first we have to get Akashi-kun out of there."  
"Where exactly is this underground prison?" Shintarou asked, turning his gaze back to Yuki.  
"Ryouko-chan can lead you there," Yuki said calmly in reply, "though ... it would be better if only one or two of you go. It’s not without danger, and if Shadow spots you ...",  
"I’ll go," Kuroko said seriously back, "you could already see if you can get any information about this world and this legend?"  
"I won’t let you go alone," Aomine grumbled, eyeing the other.  
Kuroko nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks Aomine-kun."  
"Alright, we’ll take a look around here," Shintarou muttered, looking to Kise and Murasakibara.  
"Get some rest today and we’ll go tonight," Ryouko continued quietly, turning her head to Kuroko.

* * *

He clearly felt a little woozy as he opened his eyes and looked around a little confused.  
He was no longer in the cell of this underground prison, however, he felt that his wrists had been cuffed behind his back. The surroundings were plain and he recognized only a minimal glow of light shining in from the side. How exactly had he gotten here?  
"Oh, woke up, huh?" that voice came to him and it took him a moment to attribute it to this Assassin.  
"Where are we?", Seijuuro inquired, turning his head a bit and eyeing Dai a bit, who was standing in front of him and looking at him.  
"In one of my hiding places," Dai shrugged, settling on the ground in front of him, "didn’t feel like Shadow could have you any longer."  
"What?", Seijuuro inquired, raising an eyebrow, "why am I tied up? Should you-"  
"Oh that," Dai muttered, grinning, "I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t stay here if I didn’t." She held a dagger in her hand and moved it slightly in front of her.  
"Hmmm," Seijuuro replied a little more thoughtfully. Why did he just not remember what had happened or how they had escaped? What exactly had Dai actually done, or intended to do?  
"I just want to prevent Shadow from being able to use you," Dai calmly replied in response, "which, by the way, ensures that I can’t let your friends find you."  
"You want to use me to get her?" inquired Seijuuro, narrowing his eyes, "after all, you are after her."  
"Don’t even try to figure out what this is all about," Dai replied with a more serious look, "better be glad that I find you ... interesting enough that I won’t just kill you before Shadow can use you to save the princess."  
"How kind of you," Seijuuro said, rolling his eyes a little, looking towards her. He felt very clearly that there was some danger coming from her, but he had learned far too much to deal with situations like this, due to the fact that he had been kidnapped too many times in his childhood by someone who had threatened to harm him. The only difference was that it had nothing to do with his family, but it was about the princess of that other world.  
The only thing that actually worried him a little was the fact that his friends were somewhere in that world and were probably worried as well.

**Author's Note:**

> you could follow me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/Feuchen) for infos or just chatting~


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